DNC, DCCC Pay $1.3 Million for Hillary Group’s Lists

DNC began making payments as it neglected funding to state parties

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) paid $1.3 million to a "resistance" group led by Hillary Clinton for the acquisition of its lists, filings show.

Clinton launched Onward Together in April of last year with the intent of providing funding to established liberal groups that could quickly counter President Donald Trump using direct action and protests. Last May, Clinton pushed $800,000 from her campaign funds to her group.

The DNC, which is millions of dollars in debt, found a way to cut hefty checks to Clinton's group even as they neglected state Democratic parties.

The DNC sent its first check to Clinton's group on January 8 in the amount of $300,000. Almost one month later, on Feb. 1, the committee sent a second payment of $135,000. On Feb. 28, the DNC sent yet another payment to Clinton's group for $135,000, filings show.

The DNC has now paid Onward Together $570,000. The committee began its payments to Clinton as state Democratic parties were still waiting on funding for rebuilding efforts that was initially promised in July 2017.

The DCCC has also provided hundreds of thousands in payments to Clinton's group.

The DCCC began its payments to Clinton's group on December 12, 2017, when it sent $286,689.34 for generic committee list rentals. In January, the DCCC sent another two payments for $145,822.40 and $139,242.20. A fourth check for $139,114.60 was given to Onward Together in mid-February.

The DCCC has sent a total of $710,868.54 to Onward Together. Combined with the payments from the DNC, the Democratic committees have given Clinton $1,280,868.54 over the span of three months.

The DNC and DCCC did not return requests for comments on the payments.

Onward Together operates by providing financial support, strategic leadership guidance, recognition through endorsements, or the mobilization of its members to support its partner organizations.

The group initially backed five groups at its launch but has since added six more to its endorsement list.

Groups such as Color of Change, a progressive "online racial justice" nonprofit that was founded by CNN contributor Van Jones; Swing Left, which was formed following Clinton's defeat to help elect Democrats in swing districts; and Latino Victory, an organization founded by actress Eva Longoria and Henry R. Muñoz III, who has chaired the DNC's national finance committee since 2013; are receiving support from Clinton.

Clinton's group, which operates as a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization and is not required to disclose its donors, has yet to file a financial disclosure form.

However, the amounts of some of the donations it has disbursed can be gleaned from FEC filings if the recipients accept the money into an associated PAC.

For example, records show that Clinton sent $100,000 to Swing Left in May of last year. Clinton sent $100,000 to the Color of Change PAC in November. These two organizations appear to be the only ones who have accepted contributions from Onward Together into a PAC.

An Onward Together employee previously told the Washington Free Beacon that Clinton allotted more than $1 million in funding to other resistance groups in 2017.

Joe SchoffstallEmail Joe | Full Bio | RSSJoe Schoffstall is a staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon. Previously, he spent three years with the Media Research Center and was most recently with the Capitol City Project. He can be reached at Schoffstall@freebeacon.com. His Twitter handle is @JoeSchoffstall.